Bracelet connectors



Sept. 4, 1956 S. RITTER BRACELET CONNECTORS Filed Oct. 8, 1952 INVENTORSA RITT ER WWW ATTORNEY United States Patent BRACELET CONNECTORS SaulRitter, New York, N. Y. Application October 8, 1952, Serial No. 313,6482 Claims. (Cl. 24234) The present invention relates to end connectorsfor bracelets and relates more particularly to a terminal catch forexpansion wrist watch bands.

Wrist watch bracelets have been made in a great variety of designs andconstructions. -Bands of this type are usually provided with means forattachment to an eyelet or lug integral with a watch. When used for thelarger type or mens watches the watch is provided with spaced lugs andthe connection to the bracelet ends is made by What is generally knownas a spring bar connection. The smaller ladies type Watch, however, isusually provided with oppositely disposed lugs or eyelets. The ends ofthe bracelets for this type of watch are in most cases provided withbendable hook members for disposition in the eyelets. These hook membersare then bent to a closed position thereby securing the bracelet ends tothe eyelets on the watch.

Annoyance and dimculty have been experienced not only because performingthe bending operation to attach the ends of the band to the watch lugsis hard, but because, if the bend is not complete, the band may beaccidentally disconnected.

The constant pull upon the hook members during continued use causes thehook to bend and in many cases the band and watch become disconnected,with possible loss or injury to the watch.

It is also essential to provide a connector that may be easily attachedor detached and so constructed and arranged that the connecting means isnot only effective in securing the watch to the bracelet but may be soformed as to be in harmony with the overall bracelet design.

It is an object of the present invention therefore, to provide a simpleand ornamental end connector which may be easily actuated to secure abracelet to a watch lug.

Another object of the invention is to provide a connector having movablemembers for engaging a watch lug and tension means for holding themembers in closed relation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an end connector for abracelet so constructed and arranged that the connector may be of adesign in harmony with the design of the bracelet.

Another object of the invention is to provide an end connector havingjaws movable in opposite directions to receive a watch lug and tensionmeans for holding the jaws in closed relation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an end connector havingjaws movable in opposite directions to receive a watch lug soconstructed and arranged that a movement of one jaw in one directionwill cause a movement of another jaw in an opposite direction andtension means for normally holding ,the jaws in adjacent closedrelation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more clearlyunderstood from the following description together with the followingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged front view of bracelet having 22 and riveted atends 14' "ice end connectors shown attached to Watch;

Fig. 2 is a front view of an end catch with a cover plate partly brokenaway and with the jaws of the catch in closed relation;

Fig. 3 is a view taken on line IIIIII in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a back view of the end catch or connector with the jaws closedand showing several links of a bracelet;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but taken from the opposite side withthe cover plate removed and showing pivot pinsin transverse crosssection;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the jaws open and showingthe pivot pins in cross section, and

Fig. 7 is an edge view of the end connector with the jaws as shown inFig. 6 viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow 7.

A bracelet 10 of any selected design may, in accordance with the presentinvention, be provided with what are termed end catches or connectorsindicated as a whole by the reference character 11. These end catcheswhich embody a practical example of the present invention are of similarconstruction and a description. of one will answer for both.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be noted that the connector includes a pairof jaw members 12 and 13 movable about a common pivot pin 14. The pivotpin 14 is connected (see Figs. 2 and 3) to a pivot pin 15, by a crosspiece 16. The pins 14 and 15 are held in fixed relation by cross piece16 which constitute a staple member serving to lock the several parts ofthe device in fixed relation, as will be more fully described.

The pin 15, which may be termed a retainer bar, is disposed within ahelical coil portion 17 of a spring member 18 formed of steel wire asfor example piano wire and the ends of coil 17 are extended to providearms or tension members 19 and 19.. As shown the coil 17 is of a largerinside diameter than bar 15, thus the coil 15 eyelets or lugs of a isfree to permit relative movement of the tension member 18. The pivotpins of the staple member extend through apertures in spaced apartretainer plates 21 and and 15. The apertures through which the pivot pin14 and bar 15 extend are so dimensioned as to have a forced fit in theretainer plates and the plates are retained in spaced relation toprovide a compartment for tension member 18 and portions of jaws 12 and13 which rock loosely on retainer bar 14.

The jaw 12 includes a bent segment 24 movable about pivot pin 14. Thejaw 13 includes a bent arm 23 extending from segment 25 movable aboutpivot pin 14. When arms 23 and 23 are in closed relation end portions 20and 20 thereof overlap to engage the lug 37 of a watch. The segments 24and 25 are disposed in close spaced relation; and segment 24 is providedwith a lip 27 and segment 26 is provided with a lip 28. The said lipsare bent in opposite directions or toward opposite segments, and acrossthe path of travel of edges 31 and 32 of segments 24 and 25respectively. Thus a lip on one segment may serve as a stop for theopposite segment to limit the degree of movement of arms 23 and 23' whenin closed relation. As will be evident each jaw member, including arm 23or 23' and segment 24 or 25, constitute a bell-crank member with thepivot at 14. Arm 23 or 23 serves as the long arm of the crank and theshort arm extends from pivot 14 to extension or lip 27 or 28 of asegment.

As stated above, tension member 18 is positioned arm 23 extending from rwith helical portion 17 disposed about retainer-bar 15 and with arms 19and 19 arm 19' is bent to enter an aperture 34 in lip 28 and end 35 ofarm 19 is bent to enter an.

aperture 36 in lip 27. The extreme ends of the bent ends of arms 19 and19' extend into slots 37 and 38 in the retainer plates 21 and 22respectively. Thus when the jaws are in closed relation the ends ofspring arms 19 and 19 contact the ends of the slots and cooperate withthe lips 27 and 28 holding the jaws in a selected adjacent relation.

' It will be evident that the tension member 18 holds the jaws normallyclosed and when the connector is to be attached to a watch lug the jawsare manually separated. It is desirable to obtain a relatively wideseparation of the jaws with the least amount of effort. In the presentdevice the arrangement of the operating parts make it possible to simplymove one jaw, the movement of which causes the other jaw to move andincrease the opening between the jaws. This result is attained throughthe action of the tension member 18 since helix 17 is free to move aboutand relative to retainer bar 15, hence as one jaw is moved, the forceapplied to one of the spring arms is translated to the other arm, whichexerts a force to cause the other jaw to move in a direction opposite tothe direction of movement of the firstmoved jaws.

It has been pointed out that a connector of the present type should meetthe ornamental requirement, namely, carry out the design of the braceletof which it is a part. The present device is also constructed so as toserve as an expansion link in conjunction with a bracelet of theexpansion type.

The bracelet shown, by way of example, in the drawing includes a seriesof the well known expansion link units 40. This type of link unitincludes link members hingedly connected and normally held contracted byhelical springs positioned in tubular pivots at the ends of the linkmembers. For the purpose of not only carrying out the ornamental efiectof the bracelet the retainer plate 21 is provided with an extension 41for pivotally connecting an end 42 of a bracelet link 40. The extension41 is provided with an aperture 43 (see Fig. 5) to receive a tubularpivot member 44 of a link unit 40 having the usual helical spring 45with an end 46 which is inserted into and is retained by a lug 47provided on extension 41. Thus the connector 11 functions not only toconnect the bracelet to a watch but as an operating part of an expansiontype bracelet.

The structural parts of the present device are so arranged andconstructedthat their appearance may be made to conform with anyselected design of bracelet link. As shown in the drawing a cover plate48 of suitable design having an extension 49 is secured to the retainerplates by bendable ears 50 which also serve to hold a cover plate 51 ofsuitable design at the opposite side of the retainer plates. Theconnector may therefore be given an outward appearance to meet thedesign or motif of the bracelet to be connected to a watch.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown and describedit will be understood that modifi cations may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A terminal connector for a bracelet comprising a pair of movable jawmembers, each of said members consisting of a long arm and a short arm,a pivot pin for said jaw members, a helical spring, said spring havingextended end portions to provide tension members, the ends of saidtension members being engaged with said short arms to normally rock saidjaw members about said pivot pin to move said long arms into adjacentrelation, and means within said helical spring and in fixed relation tosaid pivot pin for limiting the degree of lateral bodily movement ofsaid helical spring when said jaw members are moved in opposition toforce exerted by said tension members.

2. A terminal connector for a bracelet, comprising a pair of movable jawmembers, each of said members 7 consisting of a long arm and a shortarm, a pivot pin intermediate the ends of said arms, a coiled springhaving ends thereof extended to provide tension members, the ends ofsaid tension members engaging said short arms to normally move said longarms into close relation,

' and a retainer pin in fixed relation to said pivot pin and ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 188,578 BrennanMar. 20, 1877 348,811 Abrahams Sept. 7, 1886 931,588 Forstner Aug. 17,1909 2,624,092 Duerr Jan. 6, 1953 Kuehn et al May 5, 1953

